It’s easy to walk the extra mile when everybody’s watching.
Finding motivation is easy, when the majority supports your cause.
Long-drawn-out work is a breeze when you’re in the midst of compliments and congratulations.
But what about when you’re only wining moral victories?
When it feels like your efforts are all in vain?
Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.
Abraham Lincoln
If you’re working on a craft for the attention, I would argue you are not suited for that craft. There are more people who want to be known for working hard, than there are people actually willing to work hard. Being the kind of person who is willing to work hard for something you believe is right, regardless of the outcome, is more important than being seen as a hard working person. But that doesn’t seem to be enough for most. Humans want to reap the fruits of their labor immediately. We want to see the product of our hard work and are discouraged when we don’t.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter Founder
Martin Luther King Jr. died unaware of what would change in America.
Nichola Tesla died thinking that nobody would properly acknowledge him for his work.
Galileo Galilei was put on house arrest until his death because at the time he was seen as a heretic.
Short term glory feels great, but there is a deeper level of satisfaction when trying to achieve something timeless; something that is more permanent than thank-you’s and applause. It’s the reassuring thought that even if everything crashed and burned, you would still find value in what you’re doing. It’s a passion that grows outward from the depths of your soul that no person, place, or thing can take away from you.
So carry on like nobody is watching.
Find out how much you really care, for what you claim to care about.
Work hard for the sake of the craft and not the recognition. The unfortunate reality is that you will never know the true impact of your work. You won’t know who has been affected, what it means to humanity, or even if it really matters. But those things shouldn’t concern you. When you care for your craft, there is no such thing as working in vain.
On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Though you may be discouraged at times, don’t let it slow you down. Work diligently because it’s what your craft deserves. I would argue that being the kind of a person who commits to what you believe to be right, is more important than whether you are actually right or not. The fact that King, Tesla, and Galileo fought to their deaths for their respected crafts is the greatest testament of their sincerity, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have had it any other way. The best part is that these guys were not trying to do anything timeless. They were just earnestly doing what they thought was right.
So whatever your craft may be, learn to tune out spectators.
Max Lucado